Kendall had lived with them abroad until she turned five, when they’d sent her back to the States to be shuffled between family members. She’d often wondered why her parents had a child they never planned to raise, but she’d rarely been with them long enough to ask—until Hannah had been born and her parents had returned stateside for five years. At twelve, almost thirteen, Kendall had moved back in with them but she hadn’t opened her heart to the people who’d essentially abandoned her, but came home for their newborn baby. The rift between Kendall and her parents had widened even though they no longer had oceans and continents between them, and remained until their departure. Kendall had then been eighteen and on her own.
“You’ve grown up.” Rick’s voice brought her back to the present. A wide smile pitched his lips into a charming grin.
No doubt about it, the man had a way about him. “So have you. Grown,” she sputtered stupidly. Into a spectacular man. One with roots to this town deeper than any tree. Roots were something she knew nothing about and a sexy man who had those spelled trouble for a woman destined to wander.
“Did my mother know you were coming to town today?” Rick asked.
She shook her head. “It was another impulsive decision.” Similar to her hair, she thought and lifted a hand to the pink-colored strands.
He exhaled and seemed to relax a bit. “Spurred on by the nixed wedding?”
She nodded. “By the mutual jilting.” She bit down on her lower lip. “Nothing has gone as planned today.”
“Including your rescue?”
She grinned. “It’s been an experience, Officer Chandler.”
“That it has been.” He laughed.
The deep, husky sound curled her insides into warm, coiled knots of need.
“Look, I know this is going to sound bizarre but do you think we could keep the details of this first meeting between us?” An actual flush stained his cheeks, something she doubted Rick Chandler experienced too often.
“Just get me out of this heat and into an air-conditioned house and I promise I won’t say a word.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t been back to Crystal’s house in a while.” It wasn’t a question, rather a statement of fact they both knew to be true.
Only Kendall knew the reasons. She shook her head. “Not for years. Why?”
He shrugged. “You’ll see for yourself. Do you have luggage in the trunk?” he asked.
“A small carry-on and a suitcase.” Filled with bathing suits and other vacation clothing. She sighed. Nothing she could do about it now, so she’d have to go shopping for more practical clothing later.
He retrieved her bags and stowed them in his car before returning to cup her elbow in a gentlemanly gesture—unlike the cynical behavior he’d exhibited so far today.
A few minutes later they were on their way. Sweat trickled down Kendall’s back as the darn dress plastered to her wet skin. Despite the air-conditioning in the car, the cool blasts of air had done little to relieve the intense heat. Being in such close quarters with Rick Chandler made her body temperature soar, while he apparently remained oblivious to her charms.
He’d become her tour guide, pointing out the sights, such as they were, in his small hometown. All the while, he maintained a respectable distance while he talked. Too respectable, she thought irritably.
“We’re here.” Rick called her attention to Edgemont Street.
She glanced up. From a distance, the old house was just as she remembered it, a huge Victorian with wraparound porch and large front lawn. A place where she’d shared tea parties and had her first taste of beading and jewelry design before her aunt’s arthritis changed things. It was also the place where Kendall had nurtured childish dreams of staying forever with the aunt she adored.
But Crystal’s home had been temporary, just like every place prior or since. And once her aunt had been forced to send Kendall packing because of her health, Kendall had learned not to invest too much in the way of hopes and dreams in any one place or person. But if she’d learned that lesson well, then why the painful lump in her throat now, as she looked at the dilapidated house up close, through adult eyes? She let out a frustrated sigh.
Rick shifted the car into park and turned, one strong arm wrapped over the seat. “It’s gotten a little run-down over the years.”
“That’s an understatement.” She pasted on a smile. No need to dump her troubles on the man. He’d done enough for her already. “Aunt Crystal said she’d rented out the house. And since she never asked me to take care of anything while she was in the nursing home, even when I questioned her, I assumed things were going well. Guess I was wrong.”
“Appearances can be deceiving. All is well. It just depends on your perspective.”
There was that wry humor again. She laughed aloud, liking him way too much.
“Are Pearl and Eldin expecting you?” he asked.
“The renters?” She nodded. “I called from the road and said I’d be in town but I’d take a hotel. They insisted I stay in the guest house in the back.” She wondered if it was in better shape than the main house in front of her. “I’d hoped to work out an agreement for them to buy.” With her aunt’s outstanding bills, Kendall needed to sell for a price at or above market value, not below.
She bit down on her lower lip. “If we reach an easy agreement, I could be out of here by the end of the week,” she said with more optimism than she felt.
Rick remained silent.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing at all. You ready to go inside?”
She nodded, realizing she’d been stalling. Before she could gather her thoughts further, Rick
